Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Government’s defence innovation announcements on businesses in St Athan and the wider Vale of Glamorgan.

This Government will lead the way on equipping the UK’s Armed Forces with the best cutting-edge tech by launching a new defence innovation organisation. It will grow high-tech businesses and defence start-ups across the UK – including in the Vale of Glamorgan - enabling them to scale up innovative prototypes rapidly through a clear pathway.

The Ministry of Defence recognises the vital importance of the defence industry in the Vale of Glamorgan, and in Wales more widely. The Defence and Technology Exploitation Programme, for example, has funded Raplas Technologies, based in the Vale of Glamorgan. Companies like Raplas Technologies both across Wales and the wider UK will benefit from this announcement and a more innovative and resilient defence sector.